Mini #32 — the answers

The Mini crossword from October 3, 2026: a 5×5 grid, 5 across and 5 down, filled in the order the crossings give it away.

The clues

Across

1. 1. Sphere — ORB
2. 4. Respond — REACT
3. 7. Fall drink — CIDER
4. 8. Geometry measure — ANGLE
5. 9. Big antlered deer — ELK

Down

1. 1. Killer whale — ORCA
2. 2. Horse control — REIN
3. 3. Sheriff’s star — BADGE
4. 5. Prison room — CELL
5. 6. Long hike — TREK

The walkthrough

One way through: start at 1-Across, then let each answer feed the words it crosses — the slot with the most letters already showing is the one to fill next.

1. 1-Across, “Sphere” — nothing given yet: ORB.
2. 1-Down, “Killer whale” — O··· from the crossings: ORCA.
3. 4-Across, “Respond” — R···· from the crossings: REACT.
4. 2-Down, “Horse control” — RE·· from the crossings: REIN.
5. 7-Across, “Fall drink” — CI··· from the crossings: CIDER.
6. 3-Down, “Sheriff’s star” — BAD·· from the crossings: BADGE.
7. 8-Across, “Geometry measure” — ANG·· from the crossings: ANGLE.
8. 5-Down, “Prison room” — CEL· from the crossings: CELL.
9. 6-Down, “Long hike” — TRE· from the crossings: TREK.
10. 9-Across, “Big antlered deer” — already spelled out by its crossings: ELK.

The answer

Previous: Mini #31 (Fri, Oct 2)

About Mini

Mini is Noggin’s five-by-five crossword, on the second shelf: one grid a day against the clock, outside the daily line-up. How to play Mini, or play today’s.